Play Based Pedagogy Research Partnership with Monash University
Preshil began working in partnership with Monash University in 2015. The collaboration centred on Professor Marilyn Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorld model which was part of the ARC (Australian Research Council) Project. The PlayWorld model focuses on creative and purposeful ways for young children to learn STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) concepts through play and imagination. The collaborative research aims to support teachers to encourage girls to develop a love of, and hands-on involvement with, STEM. The partnership with Monash continued until 2018, when the last joint PlayWorld project between Preshil and Monash concluded. Since that time, Preshil has continued to develop a PlayWorld program which reflects the School’s long tradition of play-based teaching and learning.
PlayWorlds at Preshil
Preshil has always understood the importance of play in developing the imagination, and in the development of critical and abstract thinking. The value inherent in children’s play is surpassed by every child’s enjoyment of playing. This is why times for play are not relegated to recess times, but have always been included in our program as a tool for teaching. All play is purposeful, and children are inherently motivated to play. Play-based learning, in all its guises, acknowledges this.
Since 2019 Preshil has continued its commitment to innovative play pedagogy. While the involvement of Monash acted as a catalyst, Preshil has developed PlayWorlds, and an imaginative approach to enquiry, as a central element of the learning program. Preshil continues in its tradition of forward-thinking progressive education by being part of innovative world leading research focused on intentional teaching in play-based programs through the Conceptual PlayWorld model. Furthermore, Preshil is now taking this current research and making links with the longstanding traditions of play, including Playmaking which has endured for our children since the 1930s.
PlayWorlds in Action
Children and teachers establish a shared imaginative space for play, inspired by a story or work of literature. The children get to know the central characters, and develop a strong empathy with them through reading, listening, questioning, and imagining. From this foundational base, the children, and teachers, adopt characters from the story, or their real life experience, and begin to play together as play partners. Preshil teachers use this model as a way to create imaginary worlds in which to play and learn together. From within this space, a problem is posed which the children must resolve. Their empathy for the characters they discover, and inhabit, drives their motivation to work together to solve the problem and help their story book friends. The conceptual knowledge and skills required to solve the problem then become the focus of the intentional teaching.
Foundation Year (Prep)
Enquiry: Humans are made up of systems
Concepts explored: Systems Thinking – systems of the human body
Inspired by Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach.
James is so very lonely, so the children wanted to create a friend for him. He has his insect friends, but not a friend like him. The children wrote letters to James and wondered what qualities a friend has. The children flew in the giant peach to visit many characters who could help them design and build a robot friend for James. Together with the teachers, and guided by Leonardo da Vinci and Dr Cerebellum, the children explored systems thinking, built a robot, and then used Scratch Jr to program the moment when James will finally meet his robot friend.
This PlayWorld allowed teachers to plan opportunities for children to learn about STEAM, in particular features of a system, systems of the human body, engineering, coding through Scratch Jr, measurement, design, letter writing, and the characteristics of a friend.